


the night we met

by pendragonpants



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Date Night, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:56:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25144276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pendragonpants/pseuds/pendragonpants
Summary: just a one-shot where arthur and merlin go on a date and reminisce about the night they met.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 60





	the night we met

**Author's Note:**

  * For [average_lasagna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/average_lasagna/gifts).



“Merlin, stop fidgeting and being so impatient! We only just ordered our food!”

“I know, I know but I can’t wait. I’m starving!” Merlin complained, he had let Arthur choose the location for their weekly date nights and he regretted that decision. Arthur had chosen one of those fancy restaurants that had a dress code and pristine white table cloths and seventy different forks. Alright, maybe not seventy but it was still a lot!

Merlin pulled at his collar, loosening his tie. He preferred going to a pub dinner or just a casual restaurant but if this made Arthur happy, he would go along with it. He was starving, he hadn’t eaten lunch as he was busy with work and he wanted to grab a bite on their way to this restaurant but Arthur insisted he didn’t need to.

“Arthur, remind me not to let you make decisions again.” He grumbled, kicking Arthur in the shin under the table.

“Ow! Merlin! What can I do to take your mind off waiting for the food? It won’t take long anyways.”

“How can I not think about it when everyone around me is already eating?” Merlin leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows expectantly at Arthur.

“Well, we could talk. About...things?”

“Arthur, you’re such a dork.”

“And what does that make you?” He put his hands up placatingly after seeing Merlin’s murderous expression.

He thought about it for a while when an idea came to mind. He snapped his fingers and had a boyish grin on his face as he proposed his idea to Merlin.

“Do you remember the night we met?”

Merlin’s mouth opened wide and he guffawed, shaking his head amusedly. He licked his lips and leaned forward, indicating he would like Arthur to continue. Arthur smiled and he began.

*

It was a cold winter night and Arthur was racing home. Even with the heater on in his sleek BMW, it was freezing. He shivered and with every exhale he could see the cloud of condensation.

“Stupid work and Father. If I don’t want another shareholder I don’t have to get one. Do this, do that, sell this and sell that, what does he know! It’s a completely different time and Father has to get with it.” He grumbled. 

Work had not been fun in the past few months. Uther had returned from his holiday and was back to bossing Arthur around. After working long hours and overtime, Arthur was exhausted now and all he wanted to do was go home and curl up under his warm sheets and get some much-needed sleep.

His phone lit up and buzzed, indicating someone was calling him. Who could it be at 10 pm? He wondered. It was his father and Arthur leaned over, trying to pick it up when he suddenly saw a figure in the streets.

His eyes widened as he stomped on the brakes but it was too late. He hit the person with a small thud and Arthur froze. Gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles were white and he was breathing heavily. 

He jumped out of the car, scrambling to check on the person.

It was a 20 something looking man with black hair and ears that were tinted pink from the cold. He was lying face-up on the kerb with his eyes- closed.

Oh god, please don’t be dead, Arthur thought, he was panicking and unsure of what to do. There were no other cars on the road and they were in a quieter part of the city. He placed both his hands on the back of his head, walking up and down, thinking about what he should do.

He nearly cried out loud when he saw a dent in the bumper of his car. He had just bought it barely two weeks ago! But that was beside the point now, he had an unconscious man in his hands now!

He walked over to the man and shook his shoulders. “Hello? Hey! Are you alright?”

The man tried to sit up, gripping his forehead and he groaned. Arthur could have practically jumped for joy. Thank the heavens he wasn’t dead.

“Am I dead? What the hell happened?”

Arthur gaped at the man, unsure of how he could say he hit him with his car.

“I...uh...I hit you on accident? Do you want to press charges or something?”

The man’s eyes widened and Arthur noticed what a shocking shade of blue they were. They were beautiful, and his eyes made it seem like he had aeons of wisdom and experience.

“No, no! Absolutely not! I’m fine, I think. It was just an accident.”

Arthur breathed a sigh of relief, at least he wouldn’t have to face his father yelling at him for not being careful.

“Can I take you to a hospital or something?”

The man sat up straighter and looked Arthur up and down. Gods no, he thought, now he is going to think I’m some rich and arrogant snob and he’s going to sue me for the sake of it.

To his surprise, the man stood up and brushed down his clothes and extended his hand.

“No worries. I’ll be alright. I’m Merlin Emrys. Nice to meet you. Well, not so much in these circumstances but yeah, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Arthur Pendragon. Sorry, I got distracted. I didn’t mean to hit you with my car.”

“Happens to all of us. I mean, not me because I don’t own a car but it was just an accident.”

Arthur smiled shyly, cheeks flushed red from the cold. He had forgotten about it now that he was standing with Merlin. He was mesmerising.

“Can I uh take you somewhere?” He asked. He felt like he owed this man something but he wasn’t sure what he could offer. Merlin didn’t look like the type who needed money, his clothes may have been tacky in Arthur’s opinion but he could tell the material was expensive.

He probably would not have worn jeans and a neckerchief in this weather but to each its own. The dark blue of his neckerchief did suit his eyes, Arthur thought.

“Well, I’m quite hungry and I know a place nearby. We could grab a bite together?”

Arthur took note of the fact that he said ‘we’ and 'together’ instead of just “I”. That was interesting. He nodded and motioned for Merlin to enter the car.

They had a great night, talking and getting to know each other better. Arthur hadn't felt this happy in so long.

*

“You were such an idiot. After all this time, I still can't believe you hit me with your car!”

“Neither can I. And I can't believe you married me.”

Merlin tossed his head back and laughed, rubbing the ring on his finger. He looked at it fondly and spoke.

“Neither can I.”

Their food arrived and Merlin beamed, pleased that it had finally arrived, even if it had only been ten minutes.

“I love you, Arthur.”

“I love you too Merlin.” 

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Merlin’s lips and they made a toast.

“To us.”

“To us.”

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed this little one-shot!
> 
> go check out average_lasagna's works [here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/average_lasagna) and follow him [@rusty-pulley-stars](https://rusty-pulley-stars.tumblr.com) and [@anti-uther-rights](https://anti-uther-rights.tumblr.com) on tumblr.
> 
> thanks for reading xx


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